


Tea and Togetherness

by Allekha



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Ficlets, First Meetings, Gen, Mentioned Pet Death, Morning After, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 05:38:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18515002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/pseuds/Allekha
Summary: Four times tea brought people together: Lilia and Victor at their first meeting, Phichit and Yuuri before Sochi, Sara and Mila on a morning after, and Nikolai and Hiroko on a warm summer day.





	Tea and Togetherness

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: making tea

Little Victor, one of Yakov's youngest students at only twelve years old, stares at her over the table. Lilia stares back. She isn't sure quite what to do with him. Yakov had only said that he needed a place to stay the night due to some sort of family emergency, and as Lilia was the one who was finished with work earlier, she was the one to bring him to their apartment. But Lilia doesn't handle children, as a rule, and Yakov doesn't hand students to her until they are old enough for her lessons.  
  
He should be able to drink her tea, at least. "It will get cold," she tells him.  
  
Victor looks at the tea she set in front of him, blinks, then returns to staring at her. "You're really pretty," he blurts out. "I read about you in a book, but it didn't have any pictures."  
  
"A book on ballet?"  
  
He nods. "Mama gave it to me. She really really likes ballet." Something on his face flickers, and he looks down. Finally, he goes for the tea, holding the mug (she's not trusting anyone his age with the good china) but not drinking it.  
  
Lilia wonders again about the nature of this family emergency. But he needs cheering, and she could talk ballet for decades. She edges the jar of jam closer to him (don't children like sweets?) and starts to speak, until he is thoroughly distracted by the conversation and sipping on his tea.  
  
~!~  
  
Phichit is not really a tea person. He does like it – sweet and cold, usually – but it's not the first thing he reaches for. Mostly he drinks it when Yuuri makes it and offers him a share.  
  
But when Yuuri comes out of the bedroom before his very first GPF without his glasses on, his eyes red and his face freshly washed, Phichit makes a beeline for the kettle. This is not a coffee or juice situation, though it might warrant alcohol.  
  
Two spoonfuls of the grassy-smelling green leaves from the big bag Yuuri keeps in the cupboard, water hot but not boiling, don't steep it too long. The tea is a pleasant shade of green in their white mugs when he carries them to the table. "Yuuri? Did something happen?"  
  
Yuuri doesn't say anything for a long minute. Phichit is patient, watching Yuuri tug the mug gradually closer to himself, resisting the urge to play with his phone. Something is seriously wrong here.  
  
Then Yuuri lets go of the mug and leans his elbows on the table, his face resting on the heels of his hands. "Vicchan," is all he says, his voice thick.  
  
Oh, no. Oh, oh, no. Yuuri's always showing him pictures of Vicchan. He loves that dog, even from halfway across the world. Whatever has happened to him, it's not good. "I'm so sorry," Phichit says, inching his chair closer and putting his hand on Yuuri's nearest shoulder. Yuuri doesn't start crying again, but they stay up with the mugs of tea for a very long time.  
  
~!~  
  
Sara has heard a thousand times that tea is supposed to be super healthy, though she's always been a coffee girl herself. Still, she thinks she could get used to it, the way Mila makes it – very very strong, and very sweet, bitter and sugary at the same time.  
  
"This is so good," she says.  
  
"Thanks," says Mila. She's wearing a slim pair of panties and Sara's button-up from yesterday, with only two of the buttons done. It's a good look on her. "It's not too strong?"  
  
"I like it," she says. "It's hearty. You can practically feel the caffeine oozing up to your brain. Gotta wake it up so we can get to the rink on time."  
  
Mila grins; they spent all of yesterday trying to outdo each other, on the ice and off, leaving Sara pleasantly sore in all ways, and she suspects they are going to do the same again today. There are other rivals out there for both of them, but Mila is Sara's favorite. She's strong and not afraid to show it in her programs, and she has a nice loud laugh, and she looks amazing in Sara's clothes.  
  
They can take their time leaving this morning. She's enjoying the view, and the tea really is good. She decides that she should watch how Mila makes it tomorrow morning. Both so she can try to replicate it later, and for the view of Mila's muscles and skin, moving under Sara's clothes as she reaches into the cupboards and puts the kettle on.  
  
~!~  
  
Yuri had talked about Hasetsu after his visit there, but he's not the best at telling stories, and Nikolai didn't quite understand until Yuri had asked him to come visit with him and his new friends. He'd even presented the plane tickets in his usual fierce manner, like he was expecting Nikolai to refuse.  
  
The hot springs are warm and lovely for the muscles in his back, and the food is just as delicious as Yuri had said it was. Their host family is very friendly, too. They seem to adore Yuri, bringing him little presents and making sure he tries all of the side dishes when they have dinner. In return, Yuri turns down his voice somewhat and keeps telling his friend Yuuri to tell them how tasty the food is.  
  
Nikolai does not speak Japanese, and Hiroko and Toshiya do not speak Russian, and none of them can manage much English. But Hiroko's smile speaks volumes. So does the way she brings him two cups of tea on a tray the quiet afternoon after they first arrive, when he is sitting on the porch for some air. "Yurio's grandfather?" she asks. He nods; she nods back and hands him one cup, taking the other for herself. "Very good boy," she tells him.  
  
He beams with pride. "Very good," he repeats. The tea is unfamiliar, but it smells fresh and it warms his hands more than the sunshine. "And Yuuri is good." Yuri has talked a lot about their little adventures together, either between the two of them alone or with Victor, too. Eating katsudon and other Japanese foods, introducing Yuuri to Russian culture, training together here and in St. Petersburg. Yuri may be prickly, but there is a sweetness in him, and Nikolai is glad that his grandson is making friends.  
  
Her smile widens, and she nods again. They don't have much else to say to each other with the language barrier, but there isn't much need to talk, and the tea is grassy-bitter and light on his tongue.


End file.
